


In Her Name

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Abduction, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Memories, Pre-Relationship, Pre-ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-28 04:22:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A moment in time where Clint learns about one of Darcy's shadows - a shadow that has haunted her for years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Her Name

**Author's Note:**

> Potential triggers: discusses the abduction/disappearance of a minor. This scene has been in the back of my head bothering me, and I finally decided to just write it and get it out.

Darcy Lewis stared at her computer screen as she flicked from one window to another. She wanted to find a match. Her only match had been almost two years ago, and she just knew she could find another if she gave it enough time.

“Hey, Lewis!” 

A cheerful voice interrupted her concentration. She glared over the top of her monitor.

Clint Barton warded off her barbed gaze with a smirk and a wave. “Hey, no death stares. Just wanted to see if you were interested in grabbing some coffee.”

“I’m busy,” she replied shortly.

“With what? Facebook?” He snickered as he plopped himself down in a chair on the other side of her desk. “Doc Foster’s at a conference and you finished her list of stuff yesterday.”

Darcy sighed. She liked Clint, really she did. He was funny and sarcastic, dishing it out at her speed. His ability to manage scientists almost matched hers, plus he shared her love of eighties’ music and old Hollywood classics. His main fault? He didn’t know when to leave well enough alone.

“Yeah,” she answered. “I’m done with Jane’s stuff. This is a private project.” She concentrated on the computer once more.

Clint leaned forward and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. The smirk was gone, replaced by a concerned frown. His eyes had lost their relaxed humor. Now his trademark intensity focused on her. He kept his voice light though. “Doc’s at a conference, Stark’s in Tokyo, and Banner’s wandering around Kenya for some unknown reason. You’re out of school, haven’t started grad school, and basically on vacation with the scientists out.” He paused and she looked down at her hands. “What’s so important it’s got you hunched over a keyboard with a scowl?”

She stilled. Her eyes darted over to meet his. He reached out to touch her hand where it clutched the mouse. She drew in a sharp breath and his expression grew more concerned. “Darcy?”

She stood up abruptly. “Let’s get that coffee.”

Darcy tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go of her hand. Clint stood slowly. “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s take some coffee up on the roof.”

“Yeah, okay.”

The two of them gathered what they needed in silence before taking the elevator up to the roof. Clint sat in one of the lawn chairs while Darcy stretched out on a lounge chair. She stared into the bright blue sky, but she could feel his gaze resting on her.

Her eyes shifted to meet his. “Considered taking a picture? Might last longer.” Her attempt to be flippant fell short.

“Darcy.”

The one word drew a sigh from her. “You’re good at that, you know.” He tilted his head and she shrugged. “You call me Lewis or some other nickname, and I can argue, ignore, or laugh, but you use my first name in that particular tone, and I just want to say ‘Yes, sir’.”

The corner of his mouth hitched up. “Good to know. I’ll think of a use for that…later.” His stare never wavered. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s a mood I get into every so often.” She looked back up at the sky. “I’m the second of five kids. I’ve got an older sister, a younger brother, and two younger sisters. We grew up in a quiet suburban neighborhood.” She waved a hand. “It’s one of those places where nothing ever happens, boring and predictable. One day all that changed.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and letting his hands dangle between her knees as he kept looking at her. He stayed silent and let her talk.

“When I was a junior, my sister was a senior. Cassidy was everything a teenage girl is supposed to want to be. We looked a lot alike, but it was mostly surface. She was the captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. She was homecoming queen and on track to be prom queen. She had a low B average, but her teachers all adored her because she was friendly, polite, and lively.” Darcy gave a watery sort of laugh. “Cassidy loved parties, parties of any kind. She’d go to every dance, every birthday party; she even volunteered to help at kids’ parties. She wanted to be surrounded by happy people. She always tried to make people happy or help them with their problems.” Darcy shook her head. “Cassidy was _the_ old-fashioned, All-American girl. She was dating the quarterback and wanted to become a teacher. She had it all planned out in her head: college, marriage, two-point-five kids, the works.” She stopped.

Clint’s soft voice broke the silence. “What happened to Cassidy?”

“A couple of weeks before Spring Break, she asked if she could stay the night at a friend’s house. Her best friend lived a few blocks over, maybe half a mile or so. Mom said okay.” Darcy’s eyes went hazy with the memories. “Her car was in the shop…again. It was a used car, and we all called in Jinx. It would have the weirdest problems.” Her lips twitched, caught between amusement and sorrow. “Cassidy didn’t care. She loved that car. Anyway, she’d been walking to Angie’s house since eighth grade, so she threw some stuff in a backpack and headed out. She was the good girl, so she called when she got there. She planned to be home by lunch the next day so we could go out for our aunt’s birthday.” She stopped. Her fists clenched. Clint reached out and gently forced one of them open. He laced his fingers with hers, but he never spoke. She gave him a grateful look even as her eyes grew moist.

“Cassidy never came home.”

A heavy silence settled over the two of them. Darcy concentrated on holding herself together. Even now, years later, it still hurt. The memory of those awful, frantic days still drove a knife into her heart. She stared into nothingness, her mind fixed to an internal point. Clint shifted closer and took her chin in his free hand. He turned her to face him. She blinked. Her eyes focused on him once more. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head. “Angie’s parents said she left their house around 9:30 or so that morning. She wore the same jeans, but borrowed a shirt from Angie and had her hair up in a ponytail. Mr. Tyler, Angie’s dad, was mowing the lawn. He saw her turn the corner and walk out of sight. She should have gotten home within twenty minutes or so. It’s like she just disappeared. The police followed leads, interviewed everybody, and combed the entire town and countryside for weeks. Nothing.” She shifted. “The case is still open, but…” Her voice trailed off.

Clint’s hand tightened on hers. He brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. “What were you doing on the computer?”

“It’s called the Doe Network.”

“Doe?”

“Yeah.” She gave him a slight smile. “Doe as in John and Jane. It’s a volunteer group that tries to help find missing people and get names for unidentified victims. I’ve been a volunteer for a little over three years now.” He looked confused, and she shrugged. “I started looking at it to see if I could find Cassidy. It became an obsession for a while. If I wasn’t at school or asleep, I was online looking for my sister. My mom got worried and sicced a cousin on me. He’s a counselor, and it helped more than I expected.”

“He didn’t tell you to quit?”

“No; he just had me put limits on it.” She traced some lines on the back of the hand holding hers. “He let me have one hour every day, but it had to be at his office. He had Mom shut off the internet at our house, and I realized how lost I was becoming.” She met his eyes. “I stayed honest about it and he helped me find a balance in my own head. Now I give myself a certain amount of time each week, and I force myself to stay in those boundaries.”

“Does it work?”

Her lips curved. “It does. I made a match a couple of years ago. I didn’t bring anybody home, but at least we could put a name to an unidentified victim. The family got to close a door that had stood open for over ten years.” He smiled at her. She leaned her head back and looked into the sky. “It’s not the ending anybody wants, but at least it’s an ending. It’s not the endless waiting and wondering, never knowing.”

He was quiet for a few moments before he stood and tugged on her hand. “Come on.”

“Huh?” She stood up. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to go hit that coffee shop you like so much and then walk through the park.” 

Her mouth stretched in a smile. “My happy place?”

“You love Alice in Wonderland and Belvedere.” He grinned at her as they entered the elevator. “It’ll get us both out of the mansion before someone like Fury or Pepper realizes we’re not busy.”

“Sounds good.”

“Hey, Darcy?” Clint’s smile softened.

“What?” 

“Thanks,” he answered. She frowned in confusion and he elaborated. “Thank you for telling me.”

She looked away for a moment before meeting his gaze. “I trust you. It…” She bit her lip. “It felt right; telling you, I mean.”

“Good,” Clint answered simply, squeezing her hand.

Darcy blinked down at their hands. She suddenly realized he never let go of her. Her eyes met his just as the elevator opened on the ground floor. His eyes held a soft understanding and something else, something she couldn’t quite put a name to, but really wanted to explore. “Let’s go get that coffee.”

They stepped out the front door and into the bright, busy New York morning.

**Author's Note:**

> The Doe Network is real and so is the work done there - http://www.doenetwork.org/ - my prayers and best wishes for their mission.


End file.
